Keep Going!

2 Timothy 3:14-15  But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

The prospect of persecution, and the stresses of church leadership, might have made nervous Timothy (2 Timothy 1:7) want to step back from his responsibilities as the leader of a gospel church. However, Paul urged him not to give up (2 Timothy 1:8 ; 2:1 ; 4:1-5 ), not just because of duty or personal loyalty to Paul, but because the Word of God is true and the gospel is powerful. God’s salvation had come uniquely to Timothy through faith in Jesus Christ.
 
Timothy’s personal faith was at the core of his ministry. His service for the Lord was not a job but a lifestyle. He knew that God had spoken to him through the Scriptures and that they had proved utterly reliable – assuring him of eternal salvation through Christ and providing wisdom for his life and ministry. Timothy was not a professional acting out a role, but a practitioner trusting in Jesus Christ. And yet Timothy needed to be reminded to keep following Jesus and believing the Scriptures.
 
We need that reminder too. It is easy for the pressures of daily life, family, business or even ministry responsibilities to get in the way of our personal relationship with the Lord. The solution is simple: reinvest in your relationship with Jesus Christ as You read His Word and talk to Him about everything. Of course, it is good to be encouraged by the example of others through whom you have come to believe in Jesus, but we cannot be ‘professional’ Christians, we must be practitioners. The only way to stay fresh and confident in relationship with Jesus is to receive His Word and practise living it every day.
 
Prayer:  God whose Word is true. Thank You for Your Word which has shown me how to receive Jesus and start trusting Him. Forgive me when I allow the pressures of life to obscure my view of Jesus, so that I let go of my spiritual life-line – Your Word and the privilege of prayer. Please help me to develop a fresh appetite for Your Word and may I learn how to obey what You say to me. Then please enable my service for You to be more productive. Help me to keep going in Christ and in ministry. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Trials and Sufferings is a part of normal Christian life.

2 Timothy 3:10-13  You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings — what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (NIV)

  It seems wrong that godly people are persecuted while the ungodly seem to flourish. It is wrong, and when Jesus returns everybody will have to answer for their sin. But until then, Christians will continue to live in a world which is opposed to Jesus. So Paul was a great personal example to Timothy, and to us. Wonderfully, during his ministry, Paul was protected despite riots, beatings and imprisonments (Acts 13:13-14:20). He had not been killed, as his persecutors hoped, but was preserved alive for more ministries elsewhere.

Paul asked Timothy to accept that suffering would be part of the experience for everybody who is serious about following and proclaiming Jesus. The church in Ephesus needed to understand that too. The real church is no place for ‘fair-weather’ disciples, because there would be an infinite variety of wickedness in the city: all wicked people resist Jesus Christ and hate His followers. But because the gospel is God’s tool to release people from evil, the church must not hide and believers must continue to proclaim Christ. However, as they do, they will be persecuted. If they don’t, the wicked will not hear how to be saved ( Romans 10:13-15 ).

It seems unfair to be badly treated when trying to live a godly life, and share the gospel. But it is no more unfair than when Jesus was crucified. As Hebrews 12:3 says, “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” We must not lose heart, change our doctrine or way of life to fit in with the wickedness around us. Instead we must accept that some suffering is normal (Philippians 1:29 ), and is perpetrated by the people who most need to hear the gospel. That is why the Christian faith is not a way of gaining personal comfort: it is likely to be uncomfortable for believers in order that the lost may hear the gospel and be saved. It is as true in your office, factory, shop or university as it is in the markets and prisons. So do not be ashamed of Jesus; you may suffer but others will be saved. Invest your life well!

Prayer:  Suffering Saviour. Thank You for dying for me. I am sorry when I have been unwilling to suffer and have failed to live and speak in praise of You. Please help me to see that my witness is important to the people in the world around me, despite whatever suffering may come. May I take the Apostle Paul’s example seriously as a model for my own life and expect that You will rescue me so that the suffering does not overwhelm me. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

How to bring change in others (your country)? - Part 5

A City/State/Country is overthrown, by the mouth of the wicked (by a person's words it can be destroyed).Proverbs 11:11;B

This is something which is very important. Bringing a change in our own countries is very important. If you want to see the politicians change, corruption reduce, economy improve, don't speak negative about these things. Read the word of God which I have shared "Power in truth, compared to facts." Don't look at the facts, but believe the truths, start making your positive comments or remain silent. You don't have to have an opinion about everything. Know, your word has the power to create and to destroy. So speak positive. Speak blessings and not destruction, even though how much you might be tempted to speak negative. No matter how much the situation of your country, city and state looks negative.

There are corrupt politicians, but don't say, "My country will never come up." Instead say, "There are corrupt politicians, but God is changing their hearts and my country is becoming better. Politicians have changed, corruption has reduced, my country is developing, everyone has jobs, economy is rising." By releasing the power of your words, you can actually make a difference.

This is a true incident which I'm sharing. There is a sister, who loves plants. She has variety of plants in her house and garden. She bought plants and enjoyed taking care of them. She bought a plant that was rare and beautiful. She kept it in her bedroom near the window, because she liked it very much. The plant was growing and 2 years had passed and it was healthy and growing to look beautiful. Her husband said, "The plant is looking very beautiful and is growing amazingly." She nodded with a smile and a proud feeling. Suddenly one day, "She had a thought, that the plant is not doing well. Its going to die. She had actually taken every possible care that she could to see this plant flourish and grow. She used all her knowledge and experience she had. But somehow she was convinced in her thought that the plant is going to die. That day, she spoke to her husband and said, "The plant is not doing good and it will die." She looked at it everyday and said the same thing to her husband. Within few weeks, the plant actually died. Her husband as a good husband, said, "We will buy another one." Will continue next part.

– Jimsen & Sneha

Power Hungry Predators

2 Timothy 3:6-9  They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth — men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. (NIV)
 

 Although it would be nice to think that everybody has integrity; that is not true. People who resist the authority of God do not want anybody ruling over them. Instead, they want to have power and authority over other people. Paul tells Timothy to watch out for these people. They may display all kinds of ungodly behaviour and they select weak targets, people who are emotionally vulnerable and morally compromised.

Jannes and Jambres were known in Jewish tradition as the magicians who resisted Moses in the court of Pharaoh in Egypt (Exodus 7:11; 9:11 ). Eventually none of the Egyptian tricksters could compete against the power of God through Moses. In the same way, Paul said, spiritual frauds would eventually be seen in their true light. But in the meantime, Timothy was to ensure that such characters must not have a platform to teach and infect the church, leading astray those who were less discerning.

Power-hungry predators are more common than most believers think. They may behave wickedly or camouflage their rebellious hearts; they may be wolves in sheep’s clothing. But they are dangerous; and church leaders must not be naïve. Wise leadership protects the spiritually vulnerable against those who love to gain power over them. Truly spiritual leaders gather people to Jesus while the false teachers gather people to themselves. It is important to be discerning.
 

Christless Society is Terrible

2 Timothy 3:1-5  But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God — having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. (NIV)
 

 These are the Last Days; that is, the time before the Lord Jesus comes back again. Paul wanted Timothy to be under no illusion that when people reject Christ they also forfeit God’s blessings in their society. In God’s mercy, He has arranged for the worse excesses of social disorder to be restrained by governments and laws; but no law can ever change perverse human hearts. Without Christ, human nature will express itself in increasingly wicked ways.

Paul’s list of societal sins is as relevant today as in the 1st Century. Strangely, many people who behave in that way think that they are acceptable to God (although they may not be confident of His existence or identity). But whoever they think God is, their religious practices are useless in changing their heart: therefore there is no power to live in a godly way. Some of those people liked to get into churches; but Paul is clear – they should have no opportunity to spread their poison. Although they might seek a dialogue to share their views, Paul instructed Timothy to have nothing to do with them.

It should not surprise us that when people become followers of Jesus Christ, they will bring old habits with them into the church. However, when they are in Christ, He has divine power to change them; wise pastors will identify the need to change and encourage the lifestyle changes. But those who are still rebellious against the Lord (even though they may be religious) have no inner desire to change, and no power to do so. Although it may seem strange, Paul’s instruction to Timothy is wise – do not allow them to corrupt young believers.

Prayer:  Loving Lord. Thank You for the transforming power of Jesus Christ in a believer’s heart. I am grateful for all that has happened in my life since I submitted to Jesus as my Saviour. Forgive me for being tolerant or indifferent to the wickedness in the world around me, and for even accepting some behaviour which You say is evil. Please help me to reach out to my friends and colleagues who do not know Christ, without allowing myself to be corrupted by their way of life. And please help pastors to be wise and discerning, so that wickedness will not be tolerated in the church. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

The Gentle Persuasion of Truth

2 Timothy 2:24-26  And the Lord's servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. (NIV)

Truth has its own persuasive power, because Jesus Christ is the Truth. Truth is embedded in the character of God. Unlike the Greek philosophers of Paul’s day, who aggressively argued their convictions, God’s servants had no need to do that. Teaching the gospel and disciplining believers is not a personal contest; it is the unveiling of God’s mind and heart through the Scriptures. A true response cannot be forced. Those who recognize the truth and want to obey it, will receive it. Oratorical trickery is unnecessary. Receiving truth from God is not just an intellectually rational response; it marks a growing relationship.

So Timothy needed to be encouraged that he could gently instruct the ignorant, and patiently teach the wayward. He should not consider that when people rejected the Apostles’ teaching they were rejecting him; they were rejecting God. But he should still teach any who would listen, hoping and praying that God would change their hearts and that sinners would be released from Satan’s grip; and set free to love and serve the Lord.

Many believers are too frightened to speak about Jesus. They think that they may be beaten down by arguments which they cannot answer. Some teachers are happy in their pulpits but reluctant to dialogue with people who are seeking truth. However it is good for people to ask questions – as children do. When God’s Word is presented clearly, it has its own internal power ( Hebrews 4:12-14 ) to convince people’s hearts. St Augustine said, “The truth is like a lion. You do not have to defend it. Let it loose. It will defend itself”. So be kind and tell the truth clearly.